Road Salt is Everywhere During Winter Months
It keeps us safe on roads and sidewalks, but it can also pose a threat to fish and wildlife as well as human health. Fish and bugs that live in freshwater streams can’t survive in extra salty water. And many of us (more than 117 million Americans) depend on local streams for drinking water. Water treatment plants are not equipped to filter out the extra salt, so it can end up in your tap water and even corrode your pipes.
Since 2018, the Izaak Walton League of America has been working to solve road salt pollution issues from the source with the Salt Watch. The goals of Salt Watch are to raise awareness in the general public about the connection between road salt and public health, to identify waterways with high levels of road salt pollution, and to advocate for smarter road salting practices by sharing Salt Watch results with private landowners and local and state agencies.
You Can Help
Request a FREE Salt Watch kit and we’ll send you everything you need to find out whether road salt pollution is a problem in your local stream. See what’s in the kit or investigate our Salt Watch Frequently Asked Questions for more info about monitoring, using the kit, and interpreting your results.
For multiple kits or to nominate your organization as a Salt Watch partner, email saltwatch@iwla.org.
Request a Salt Watch Kit
As a Salt Watcher, I pledge to…
- Reduce my road salt use at home and seek out safe alternatives when I can
- Share my knowledge about road salt and water pollution with my family, friends, and neighbors
- Use my FREE Salt Watch kit to test salt levels in my local waterways and add my findings to the national database
Request a Salt Watch Kit
As a Salt Watcher, I pledge to…
- Reduce my road salt use at home and seek out safe alternatives when I can
- Share my knowledge about road salt and water pollution with my family, friends, and neighbors
- Use my FREE Salt Watch kit to test salt levels in my local waterways and add my findings to the national database
Salt Watch Results
View and Submit Data on the Clean Water Hub
The Clean Water Hub is a collaborative tool to help people just like you track water quality in local streams, lakes, and even drinking water. It’s a place to share your local data results so that we can make an impact. The Clean Water Hub enables you to play an active role in the act of conserving, monitoring, and restoring the quality of our nation’s streams and rivers.
Not collecting data yet? You can still visit the Hub to see water quality information, including Salt Watch results, in your community.
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Salt Watch Partners
Salt Watch partner organizations are spreading the word, reporting data, and advocating for reduced use of road salt. Meet our official partners.
Become an Official Salt Watch Partner
Does your organization participate in Salt Watch monitoring or advocate for smart salting? Reach out about becoming a Salt Watch partner organization!
Partners gain access to benefits including free virtual presentations and support with outreach efforts.
Join the movement! Email saltwatch@iwla.org.
Your kit will include a bottle containing 25 nitrate test strips which you can use to test your water source(s) throughout the year. You’ll also receive postcards explaining how to use your nitrate test strips and how to share your Nitrate Watch results on the Clean Water Hub.
Your kit will include four test strips so you can test your waterway throughout the season. You’ll also receive a chart to help you interpret your results and a postcard with instructions for completing a Salt Watch test and reporting your findings.